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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED™

Data: Good

Lecithin

  • This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
  • Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met the program’s impurity and use restrictions based on EWG's review of the company's data.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Enhanced skin absorption, Use restrictions (low), Multiple, additive exposure sources (low), and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

● EGG YOLK LECITHIN
● EGG YOLK LECITHINS
● GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) LECITHIN
● GLYCINE SOJA LECITHIN
● LECITHIN
● LECITHIN, SOYBEAN
● LECITHINS
● LECITHINS, EGG YOLK
● SOYBEAN LECITHIN
● SOYBEAN PHOSPHOLIPID

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation

Lecithin is a naturally ocurring lipid found in both plants and animals. According to the PETA's Caring Consumer guide, lecithin for com mercial purposes is most commonly obtain from eggs and soybeans.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • MODERATE
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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foundation566 products
lipstick272 products
daily use with SPF229 products
facial moisturizer/treatment216 products
concealer201 products
moisturizer170 products
serums & essences132 products
eye liner92 products
around-eye cream78 products
mascara72 products
mask68 products
recreational sunscreen68 products
eye shadow66 products
brow liner60 products
lip liner59 products
facial cleanser57 products
bronzer/highlighter56 products
blush55 products
shampoo52 products
conditioner50 products
lip balm39 products
lip gloss36 products
36 products
exfoliant/scrub30 products
hand cream29 products
makeup primer25 products
body wash/cleanser24 products
hair treatment/serum23 products
BB cream21 products
body firming lotion18 products
anti-aging15 products
facial powder14 products
toners/astringents12 products
hair-loss treatment11 products
setting powder/spray10 products
nail treatment9 products
lip balm with SPF8 products
baby lotion7 products
sunless tanning7 products
antiperspirant/deodorant7 products
body oil6 products
liquid hand soap6 products
muscle/joint soreness5 products
makeup remover5 products
baby sunscreen5 products
skin fading/lightener4 products
foot moisturizer4 products
after shave4 products
after sun product4 products
baby soap4 products
styling gel/lotion3 products
diaper cream3 products
bath oil/salts/soak3 products
baby shampoo3 products
damaged skin treatment3 products
beard cleanser3 products
shaving cream2 products
cuticle treatment2 products
baby oil2 products
hair styling aide2 products
baby bubble bath2 products
hair color and bleaching1 products
nail polish1 products
styling mousse/foam1 products
hair spray1 products
detangler1 products
body spray1 products
baby wipes1 products
tanning oil1 products
beard care1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)1 products
foot odor control1 products
shaving cream (men's)1 products
beard oil1 products

Contamination concerns

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Chemical
NITROSAMINES

Enhanced skin absorption

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Penetration enhancerOpen scientific literature

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceOpen scientific literature
One or more human case studies show possible immune and respiratory or allergenic effectsAssociation of Occupational and Environmental Clinics

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Used in food or as an additive with limited or no toxicity information availableFDA Everything Added to Food
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - anyOpen scientific literature

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more animal studies show female reproductive system effects at high dosesOpen scientific literature

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Uncertain environmental toxin and uncertain persistent or bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Safety unknown for products that may be inhaledOpen scientific literature
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - anyOpen scientific literature
18085 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as a low human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED™ mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

Can’t find your product?

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